Electric vaporizer



Nov. 27, 1951 R. R. FISHER 2,576,110

ELECTRIC VAPORIZER Filed March 22, 1949 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET 1 INVENTOR. Roy E fZS/7f" BY A TTOR/VEYS Patented Nov. 27, 1951 ELECTRIC VAPORIZER Roy R. Fisher, Paris, Ky., assignor to Electric Steam Radiator Corporation, Paris, Ky., a corporation of Michigan Application March 22, 1949, Serial No. 82,833

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an electric vaporizer and has particularly to do with a steam vaporizer for use in hospitals and homes to relieve congestion due to colds and asthmatic conditions.

Briefly, this invention relates to a base structure having two adjacent wells in the top, one of which forms a water supply well and a support for an inverted bottle and the other of which forms an electrode holder and vaporizer cham- It is an object of the invention to provide a relatively inexpensive portable unit which may be plugged into any 120-volt electrical outlet and which will produce steam in quantities sufficient to raise the humidity of a single room and also create a heat sufiicient to vaporize medicament such as menthol crystals or other similar materials. Another object is the provision of a vaporizer unit which holds a large supply of water which is fed slowly to spaced electrodes which change the water in steam. This supply of water may be renewed if desired without the necessity for interrupting the operation of the vaporizer. The unit is also designed to accommodate standard Mason jars of pint, quart, or two-quart size. Thus continuous and safe operation is assured without attention. The unit is so designed that when the water supply is exhausted it automatically shuts off.

Other objects and features of the invention, including details of construction and operation, will be found in the following description and claims.

Drawings accompany the specification and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

Figure 1, a perspective view of the complete assembly showing the water supply bottle and the medicament holder elevated above their positions of rest.

Figure 2, a plan view of the base unit.

Figure 3, a longitudinal vertical section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4, a vertical section of the vaporizing chamber on line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5, a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6, a vertical section showing the connecting structure between the two chambers on line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Reference is made to Patent 2,392,372, issued January 8, 1.946, and Patent 2,433,750, issued December 30, 1947, each of these patents being directed to steam Vaporizers and the like.

As shown in Figure 1, a base B has a heating well H and a water supply well W. A vaporizer cup 20 such as described in the first patent above mentioned is adapted to be received by the well H. As shown in Figure 3, the water supply well is dimensioned to receive a screw cap 22 with a rubber seal ring 23 on the end of a Mason jar 24. Within the Well H are spaced electrical conductive units which create steam when connected by a body of water. These will be described in detail later. Water supply from the Mason jar 24 feeds to these conductive units through a suitable connecting channel so that operation is continuous until the water supply is exhausted.

The base B is composed of a bottom unit 26 and a top unit 28. At the right-hand side of part 26, as viewed in Figure 3, is a heating chamber 30 in which are positioned, spaced and parallel electrical conductive blocks 32, each resting on an insulative disc 34 which in turn rests on a sealing washer 36. The bottom 38 of the chamber 30, together with the washer 36, the disc 34, and the blocks 32 is transfixed by two bolts 40 held in place by nuts 42. Suitable electrical terminals 44 (Figure l) are also fastened by the nuts 42. The bolts 40 are of electrical conducting material which transmits current from a lead cord 46 to the blocks 32. Above the heating chamber 30 is the double-walled vaporizer well H, the bottom 50 of which is perforated to permit the escape of steam from the heating chamber. The sides of the well H terminate at a top rim 52 and then lead downwardly in walls 54 to the outer edge of the bottom member 26.

At the left end of the bottom unit 26, as viewed in Figure 3, is a supply chamber 6!) for incoming water. The bottom of this supply chamber is spaced upwardly from the bottom of the heating chamber 30 but is connected thereto by a downwardly sloping channel 62 shown in section in Figure 6. Above the supply well 60, the top portion of the base 28 is formed at 64 to provide a cylindrical recess to receive the screw cap 22 at the end of an inverted bottle 24. The screw cap has a hole 66 ata center portion 68 which is raised from the rest of the cap and also a hole 10 adjacent the rim of the cap. The hole 10 serves as an inlet for air so that the water supply device acts in much the same manner as the wellknown chicken watering trough. That is, a limited quantity of water will feed down as it is exhausted in the supply chamber 60. Suitable venting grooves 12 (Figure 5) are provided around and the 'jar 24'.

the cylindrical opening 64 to admit air to the chamber 60. This same ventilation may be accomplished by alternate grooves or ridges on they sides of the cap 22.

The parts 26 and 28 are held together by screws 80 between the two wells H and W. Suitable legs 82 support the assembly so that the outside skirt 84 of the bottom 26 is off the supporting surface to permit a cooling ventilation.

A feature of the invention not yet described relates to a water dam or gate in the feed channel to regulate flow through the channel and-restrict the cross-sectional area of water connecting "restricts the'cross-isectional area of the-body of water connecting the two chambers and thereby eliminates any danger of the passage of an miuriou's amount of current through the water in the 'channelto the supply side;

It will benoted thatthe-gate fid'isopen' atthe bottom and that water also could flowover the top after reaching'a certain level.

Th'e' b'ase'Z'G being'formed as a single molding of'plasti'c' heat and electrical insula-tive material a water-tight vesselin itself; Consequently, there are no water-sealing problems 'inconnection with the construction except at'the-bolts ll) where the washer 36 serves as an adcquate'seal. An insulative disc 100 protects bolts ll! and nuts 42 from contact.

In the" operation, when the lead wire 46 is plugged into an electrical outlet so that a difference in potential is created between the resistance unitstZ; water in the well-30 creates a resistance between the twounits and is changed into steam-by the passageof current between the'electrod'es 32. th'e' perforated bottom 59' and'be dispelled from the steam-chamber or well The water supply in the chamber 39 continues to be replenished through channel 02 from the supply chamber fill According to well-known principles, atmospheric pressure keeps the water in the jar from going over a certain'level inthe bottom unit 26.

When the water supply is completely exhausted; the heating 'will cease even though the unit remains connected to the electrical supply.

It will be seen that various-sized jarsl l could housed; and the unit couldbe-further usedeither with or without the container 20-, depending on whether or not it is .desired'to mix the steam with curative vapors arising from heatedmedicine in the cup 20.

What I claim is:

1. .A steam vaporizer unit comprising. a molded base memberhaving an electrode well at one end and a supply well at the other end, means to This steam will rise through I support said base member in spaced relation to a horizontal surface, a molded top member comprising a top surface provided with a formed edge to contact said base member and having a cylindrical recess positioned to lie above said supply well to support an inverted capped bottle, and means forming a heating chamber comprising a circular curved wall rising from said top surface at the other end of the top member formed integrally therewith, said wall terminating upwardly at the margins of a circular recess and depending downwardly from said margins to a point below the formed edge of the top member to form adouble walled well, apertured supportingmeans closing the well at the bottom and lying above said electrode well in the base.

2. Asteam vaporizer unit as defined in claim 1 in which attaching means is provided to engage said base and said top member, said means being engageable at an oil-center position to prevent erroneous assembly of said parts.

3. A steam vaporizer unit as defined in claim 1 in which said bottle supporting cylindrical re- .cess has a defining wall depending from said top surface to a point below said formed edge and within said supply well of said base.

4. A steam vaporizer unit comprising a molded base member having an electrode well at one end'and a supply Well at the other end, and an upstanding rim, the top edges of which lie in a single plane, a molded top member comprising a top Wall and a formed-edge projecting downward to'provide a depending rim, the lower edges of which are in a single-plane and conform to the rim of the base, depending wall means forming a cylindrical recess in said top member at one end extending to a level below said formed edge to support a capped inverted bottle, and means forming a heating chamber comprising a circular curved wall rising from said top surface at the other end of the top member formed integrally therewith, said wall rising to form a circular-opening and depending downward from the margins of said opening to a point below the formed edge of the top member to form a double walled well, and means at the bottom of said well to support an article being heated and to pass steam from said well.

5. A vaporizer unit as defined in claim 4 in which vertical formations in the wall of said cylindrical recess permit passage of atmosphere tosaid supply well.

6. A vaporizing unit as defined in claim 4 in which the inner edges of the depending rim lie inside the inner edges of the upstanding rim.

ROY R. FISHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,520,050 Blount Dec. 23, 1924 2,049,899 Edelman Aug. 4', 1936 2,379,034 Pargman June 26,1945 

